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Brazil-bound: The splendors of this hot haven and how you can see them for yourself!

Things we love about Brazil: hotties, football, Carnaval, and Havaianas! Check out these images of things not to be missed when visiting Brazil, and find out how to join the contest that might get you there.

Perennially recognized for its brilliant coasts, crazy football fans, and bikini-clad bods, Brazil is just one of those places you have to see before you die. Here’s a quick rundown of what to look forward to when in this bonito beach-land—plus the Havaianas contest that might get you there sooner than you think!

Christ the Redeemer, or O Cristo Redentor, as it’s called in Portuguese, is a 130-foot statue at the peak of the Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro depicting a standing Jesus Christ with his arms flung open over the city below. Considered the largest art deco statue on the planet, this towering sculpture was named one of the Seven New Wonders of the World just a little over two years ago.

Copacabana is a four-kilometer stretch of pristine beach in the city of Rio de Janeiro. It is considered one of the prime examples of sand-and-surf in the entire world. Now a household name (thanks to an eponymous 1978 Barry Manilow song), Copacabana is also the official venue of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.

Carnaval is the most famous holiday in Brazil, akin to the Mardi Gras of New Orleans or the Sinulog Festival of Cebu . Forty days before Easter, festival-goers bid farewell to all the bad things in their lives and are treated to almost a week of non-working holidays filled with booming samba music, flamboyant costumes, and non-stop street-partying.

Cable car rides on Sugarloaf Mountain were first made famous by a thrilling fight scene in the 1979 Bond movie Moonraker,but have prospered since for the breathtaking views they give access to. Each glass-paneled cable car can take up to 75 passengers on an awe-inspiring ride that spans three mountains and overlooks the gorgeous Guanabara Bay.

Cachaça is the most popular liquor in Brazil and the main ingredient in its national cocktail, Caipirinha. Distilled from fermented sugarcane juice, this brave man’s booze can contain anywhere from 38 to a whopping 80 percent of alcohol. Saúde! (That’s “cheers” in Portuguese!)

Can’t wait to visit but sadly on a strict budget? Havaianas’ Happy Soles Will Travel to Brazil video contest is giving away an amazing 12-day all-expenses-paid trip to this dream destination! Click here to find out how you can hit the jackpot and jetset to Brazil, land of the bold and the beautiful!